NEW DELHI: India’s updated baggage framework took effect on February 2, 2026, changing how returning travelers can bring personal goods into the country and revising long-standing limits on jewellery carried in baggage. Under the Baggage Rules, 2026, eligible passengers may bring gold, silver and other precious metal jewellery under a special duty-free allowance that is set by weight, without a rupee value ceiling that existed under the previous rules.
The rules define “jewellery” as ornaments made of gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals, whether studded or not. The special allowance applies to a resident or a tourist of Indian origin who has been residing abroad for more than one year and is bringing jewellery as part of bona fide baggage. Within that category, the duty-free limit is 40 grams for a female passenger and 20 grams for a passenger other than a female.
The 2026 rules remove the earlier value caps attached to those weight limits under the Baggage Rules, 2016. The older framework permitted duty-free jewellery up to 20 grams with a value ceiling of ₹50,000 for a gentleman passenger, and up to 40 grams with a value ceiling of ₹100,000 for a lady passenger, subject to eligibility conditions. The weight thresholds remain in the new rules, but the value ceiling is no longer specified for this concession.
Beyond jewellery, the rules update the general duty-free allowance for other personal goods carried in baggage. Residents, tourists of Indian origin and foreigners holding a valid non-tourist visa arriving other than by land can claim a general free allowance up to ₹75,000, while tourists of foreign origin arriving other than by land can claim up to ₹25,000. The rules also state that a passenger’s free allowance cannot be pooled with another passenger’s allowance.
Jewellery allowance set by weight
The rules include exclusions and category distinctions that affect how items are treated at customs. Gold or silver in any form other than ornaments is listed among items not covered under the general allowances, placing bullion and similar forms outside the treatment for personal effects and ornaments. Travelers carrying goods beyond the applicable free allowances are required to comply with customs requirements, including assessment and payment of duty where applicable under India’s customs law.
The 2026 rules also allow one new laptop, including a notepad, to be brought duty-free in bona fide baggage by passengers aged 18 and above, other than crew. For arrivals by land, the framework limits the allowance primarily to used personal effects required for daily necessities, reflecting different treatment based on the mode of entry. The rules set out conditions for what may be brought without duty and what must be declared for assessment.
Customs declaration moves online
Alongside the new baggage rules, India notified the Customs Baggage (Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2026, which provide for electronic filing of baggage declarations and associated processing steps. The regulations allow passengers who have made an electronic declaration to update details up to arrival, and they introduce certificates for temporary export and re-import of personal effects, as well as temporary import of baggage in specified cases. Updated forms also include specific questions on whether a passenger is carrying jewellery beyond daily necessities or beyond the prescribed special allowance.
For travelers focused on jewellery, the practical change is that eligible passengers bringing ornaments within the 40-gram and 20-gram limits can claim the special duty-free allowance without reference to a rupee value cap, while those exceeding the prescribed weight limits, or not meeting eligibility conditions, may face duty assessment. The framework continues to separate ornaments from gold and silver in other forms, and it requires passengers to follow declaration and processing rules when thresholds or conditions are not met.
The Baggage Rules, 2026 supersede the 2016 rules and apply from February 2, 2026 across India’s entry points, including airports and other ports of arrival covered by customs procedures. The updated framework combines revised allowances for general goods, continued weight-based limits for duty-free jewellery under the special allowance, and expanded options for electronic declaration and documentation tied to baggage movement and personal effects. – By Content Syndication Services.